audition

Had an audition today in FRANCE that I had to take the ICE/TGV to get to...
Oh how I love fast train travel.
So painless.
So lovely.
Even when one train runs 5 minutes late they sometimes hold the next train if they know a ton of people have connections on it so that we can all safely get to our destinations.

That's beside the point.
Audition.
Woke up at 6:15, slept on the train until 9:30, arrived at 10:15, took a tram to the opera house, warmed up for about 20 minutes, rehearsed with the pianist for about 10 minutes, had some time to cool down and relax before my actual time...

and then I started with DurchZ (thanks, pianist--even though I pointed out that I will NOT be breathing on the three runs to the top notes and could you please NOT slow down the tempo--you still slowed down so much that it almost came to a halt and I had to breathe all of the times..thanks...no matter. Still sounded awesome and held the high E for like, ever)

Then- (this is the BEST) they asked for Lakme, but WITHOUT the introduction!?!?!??!
HHWHAT>??
Don't you people know that the intro. is the ONLY challenging part of the whole aria?
To start on an E, get it once from the piano an octave lower, and actually end that whole cadenza in the right KEY???
HAHAHAA- suuuuckers!

Anyway, so that was a snap too...oh, except : (thanks pianist, for somehow being the ONLY french person EVER to not know that the 2nd "lyric" sections of the aria --la bas dans la foret plus sombre---DON'T get sung at a snail's pace.
WHERE on the music does it say slow down, huh? huh? tell me....please).
This just confirms my anti-feminist suspicion that sorry--almost every male audition accompanist I've had is by FAR better than any female audition accompanist I've ever had.
I KNOW there are lovely talented women out there coaching and being repetiteurs and playing beautiful auditions.
Just not for me.
Yet.

Gah.

Anyway, both pieces went really well, the house was lovely to sing in, and hopefully I made a good impression.
To Be Determined.